Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a very outspoken critic of Islam, especially the treatment of women in the Islamic religion. Brandeis University had planned to award Hirsi Ali an honorary degree, but rescinded that announcement today, saying “We cannot overlook that certain of her past statements are inconsistent with Brandeis University’s core values.”

The announcement Hirsi Ali would be honored was met with intense online backlash. Over 6000 people signed a Change.org petition to get Brandeis to rescind the honorary degree. The Council on American-Islamic Relations condemned the honor and said, “We believe offering such an award to a promoter of religious prejudice such as Ali is equivalent to promoting the work of white supremacists and anti-Semites.”